Vegard Stake Laengen new Norwegian champion

The UAE Team Emirates cyclist wins the national title in Sandefjord

The first weekend dedicated to the national titles brought UAE Team Emirates a jersey, that of the Norwegian national champion thanks to the win of Vegard Stake Laengen. The big Scandinavian reached the finish line solo in Sandefjord, 13″ over Rasmus Tiller and 29″ over Kristian Aasvold.

Of the 65 cyclists in attendance, Laengen was able to pull it off thanks to the UAE Team Emirates group with Alexander Kristoff and Sven Bystrøm. He got clear and jumped his nine escape mates, which included three from both Team Joker Icopal and three from Team Coop.

“It was a very demanding race,” Laengen said. “Above all because it was marked by attack after attack. For this reason, the support of Bystrøm and Kristoff was fundamental to allow me to be there in the final phases and focus on the race. In the final, I was able to get into the decisive attack with the nine other attackers. And knowing that I had little chance in the sprint, I jumped early at four kilometres to race and I was able to get to the line alone, giving my team a big joy. It’s a beautiful win, I’ll carry this jersey in every race now for the next year.”

It was Laengen’s sixth career win after the overall classification in the Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2010, a stage in the Tour de Beauce in 2012, a stage in the Point Sante Maxence della Ronde de l’Oise in 2016 and one in Markestein, and the overall in the Tour de l’Alsace in 2016